1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new device for controlling and testing projectiles, especially bullets and other munitions. The device includes capabilities for varying and controlling the firing force (and hence, speed and momentum), the temperature and the rotation of the fired projectile.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following patents relate to the field of bullet testing:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,732,628B1 discloses a bullet trap for arresting and trapping a fired bullet. The bullet trap includes a primary enclosure having a shooting port and a plurality of discrete, resilient bullet trap media in the enclosure. In the preferred embodiment, the media are generally spherical and have a durometer less than or equal to about 100. The media is operable to arrest and capture a fired bullet in a sufficiently small enclosure so as to be portable.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,722,195B2 discloses a method and apparatus for trapping projectiles so that the projectiles are not damaged. An elongated trough is typically filled with alternating layers of a foam substance and a fibrous substance. Alternatively, the trough can be filled with just a foam or fibrous substance. A projectile launcher such as a gun is connected to the trough and a projectile is shot into the filling substance substantially parallel a longitudinal axis of the trough. The trough can be opened and the projectile can be recovered from the filling substance.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,198,694B1 discloses a method and a device for deciding relative to a chosen reference system, and without contact, the position, direction or speed-or any combination thereof-for a projectile in its flight through a gas towards a giver target, the position of the projectile in a first plane is decided at a certain distance from the target by means of at least three acoustic sensors arranged in a vicinity of the plane. Acoustic sound waves, emanating from a turbulent gas volume extending essentially straight behind the projectile and/or emanating from a wake or monopole existing essentially straight behind the projectile, are received by means of the acoustic sensors. Time differences for the arrival of the acoustic sound waves to the respective acoustic sensors are measured. The projectile position in the first plane is calculated from the time differences. The hit point of the projectile in a target plane through the target is decided with the help of the calculated projectile position in the first plane.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,647 discloses a projectile trap having three groups of suspended polyurethane sheets. The polyurethane sheets are processed so as to have high cut and tear resistance properties and low rebound properties. The hardness of the polyurethane sheets increases from the first group of sheets at the front of the bullet trap, which are first contacted by a bullet, to the third group of polyurethane sheets at the rear of the bullet trap. The polyurethane sheets are suspended in the bullet trap by a keying arrangement which ensures that individual polyurethane sheets of a particular group may only be placed at specific locations in the bullet trap.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,684,264 discloses a ballistic containment device for use in inspecting, loading and unloading firearms having an outer drum with a rim portion defining an open end, an inner wall surface and a closed end, together forming an outer chamber into which is suspended a semi-rigid kinetic energy absorptive member, which member is constructed from a plurality of layers of fabric woven from long chain synthetic polyamide fibre, which layers are bonded to one another by a non-rigid adhesive material. The kinetic energy absorptive member is suspended into the catchment member, from the rim portion as aforesaid, by means of a support web constructed of a plurality of overlapping straps of fabric woven from long chain synthetic polyamide fibre bonded to the kinetic energy absorptive member by means of the non-rigid adhesive material.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.